​PICTURES: VietJet A321neo loses nosegear wheels in hard landing

30 November, 2018

SOURCE: Flight Dashboard

BY: Greg Waldron

Tokyo

A VietJet A321neo lost both nosegear wheels during a hard landing at Buon Ma Thuot, with passengers and crew evacuating via slides.

Images obtained by FlightGlobal show the aircraft (VN-A653) with emergency slides deployed and its nosegear wheels completely shorn off. One image shows what appears to be the remains of firefighting foam under the right engine cowling.

The aircraft was operating flight VJ356 on the Ho Chi Minh City-Buon Ma Thuot route when the incident occurred during the evening 29 November.

In a response to query from FlightGlobal, VietJet said all 207 passengers are safe. Some were taken to the hospital for a check, but have subsequently been discharged.

"The carrier has been in close coordination with related authorities to assess the incident and promptly support all affected passengers," it says.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that VN-A653 (MSN 8199), powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100 engines, was delivered two week ago on 14 November 2018. It is managed by Goshawk.